---
layout: docs
page_title: Frequently Asked Questions
description: Nomad frequently asked question topics include checkpoint, gossip and consensus protocols, Nomad datacenter versus Consul datacenter, bootstrapping a cluster, and connecting to a host network with Docker Desktop.
---

# Frequently Asked Questions

## Q: What is Checkpoint? / Does Nomad call home?

Nomad makes use of a HashiCorp service called [Checkpoint](https://checkpoint.hashicorp.com)
which is used to check for updates and critical security bulletins.
Only anonymous information, which cannot be used to identify the user or host, is
sent to Checkpoint. An anonymous ID is sent which helps de-duplicate warning messages.
This anonymous ID can be disabled. Using the Checkpoint service is optional and can be disabled.

See [`disable_anonymous_signature`](/nomad/docs/configuration#disable_anonymous_signature)
and [`disable_update_check`](/nomad/docs/configuration#disable_update_check).

## Q: Is Nomad eventually or strongly consistent?

Nomad makes use of both a [consensus protocol](/nomad/docs/architecture/cluster/consensus) and
a [gossip protocol](/nomad/docs/architecture/security/gossip). The consensus protocol is strongly
consistent, and is used for all state replication and scheduling. The gossip protocol
is used to manage the addresses of servers for automatic clustering and multi-region
federation. This means all data that is managed by Nomad is strongly consistent.

## Q: Is Nomad's `datacenter` parameter the same as Consul's?

No. For those familiar with Consul, [Consul's notion of a
datacenter][consul_dc] is more equivalent to a [Nomad region][nomad_region].
Nomad supports grouping nodes into multiple datacenters, which should reflect
nodes being colocated, while being managed by a single set of Nomad servers.

Consul on the other hand does not have this two-tier approach to servers and
agents and instead [relies on federation to create larger logical
clusters][consul_fed].

## Q: What is "bootstrapping" a Nomad cluster? ((#bootstrapping))

Bootstrapping is the process when a Nomad cluster elects its first leader
and writes the initial cluster state to that leader's state store. Bootstrapping
will not occur until at least a given number of servers, defined by
[`bootstrap_expect`], have connected to each other. Once this process has
completed, the cluster is said to be bootstrapped and is ready to use.

Certain configuration options are only used to influence the creation of the
initial cluster state during bootstrapping and are not consulted again so long
as the state data remains intact. These typically are values that must be
consistent across server members. For example, the [`default_scheduler_config`]
option allows an operator to set the SchedulerConfig to non-default values
during this bootstrap process rather than requiring an immediate call to the API
once the cluster is up and running.

If the state is completely destroyed, whether intentionally or accidentally, on
all of the Nomad servers in the same outage, the cluster will re-bootstrap based
on the Nomad defaults and any configuration present that impacts the bootstrap
process.

## Q: How to connect to my host network when using Docker Desktop (Windows and MacOS)?

Since Docker is based on Linux-native technologies, Docker Desktop for Windows
and MacOS uses a small Linux virtual machine to run containers. This extra step
adds a layer of indirection between the network of your host (the computer you
are currently using) and the network of the VM running your containers.

This means that, by default, your Docker tasks will not be able to access
endpoints that are available in your host network, such as a local Consul agent.

In order to properly setup this connection you will need to explicitly bind
the Nomad client to a non-loopback network interface, and anything else you
would like to access must also be in the same interface.

On Windows, we recommend you to start with the [WSL2 backend for Docker
Desktop][wsl2-docker]. Once you are more familiarized with Nomad you can start
running it natively.

To use the network named `en0` that has the IP address `192.168.0.10`, you can
start Nomad with this command.

```shell-session
$ sudo nomad agent -dev -bind=0.0.0.0 -network-interface=en0
```

To start Consul in the same network, you can run this command.

```shell-session
$ consul agent -dev -client=0.0.0.0 -bind=192.168.0.10
```

Now your services will be registered in Consul using the right IP and your
tasks will be able to reach each other. To access your tasks from your host
machine you will need to use the network interface IP address.

```shell-session
$ curl http://192.168.0.10:8080
```

[consul_dc]: /consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#datacenter
[consul_fed]: /consul/tutorials/networking/federation-gossip-wan
[nomad_region]: /nomad/docs/configuration#datacenter
[`bootstrap_expect`]: /nomad/docs/configuration/server#bootstrap_expect
[`default_scheduler_config`]: /nomad/docs/configuration/server#default_scheduler_config
[wsl2-docker]: https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-windows/wsl/
